Back to Genesis…and the First Testament

Behind our quizzing boxes. I’m the “I refuse to smile at this picture” boy on the right.

It’s hard for me to read Genesis without being transported back in time to the corner room under Lancaster Hall at Trinity church. There as a boy of 8, I came every Wednesday night and joined a dozen other children as my mother (Marilyn) and her friend, Judy, put us to the test. Perched behind our cardboard boxes, we’d listen to the multiple choice questions on Genesis then answer by pulling out one of the cards numbered 1 to 4. As a junior quizzer, I soaked up God’s Word; it still fascinates me.

We Christians underestimate the impact on our faith of Genesis and the Old Testament generally. Dr. Alvin Lawhead for many years taught Old Testament at Nazarene Theological Seminary. My wife and I attended the same congregation as he did in the Kansas City area. Sometimes he would preach and invariably his text came from the Old Testament. As he took his place behind the pulpit, some took out their New Testament and waited for him to announce his text. He’d ask us to turn to a portion in Jeremiah or Isaiah, then good naturedly would lower his glasses on his nose, smile, and query:

You haven’t left 2/3 of your Bible at home, have you?

Dr. Lawhead’s point was well-taken. Truth be told, we don’t practice a Christian ethic as much as we practice a Judeo-Christian ethic. The church decided early on – thanks to the controversy with Marcion – that we accept the 39 ancient books we inherited from the Jewish people as part of our Christian Scriptures. While it is true that we must always determine what a specific Old Testament teaching has to say to us in the light of Christ and the New Testament, it’s surprising how many Old Testament teachings are taken up without change by Christians.

Dr. Lawhead (left) poses with an unknown Seminary student

When I’ve taught biblical interpretion to pastors in Africa, to explain the relationship between the Testaments, I’ve used the illustation of two e-mails announcing a meeting. Imagine that you check your e-mail and find the following message from me:

Please join me next Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. in Helstrom 6 for a short prayer meeting.

On Monday, you receive a second e-mail from me:

Our short prayer meeting together next Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. will be held in Helstrom 9.

I then ask my students: Where will you me meeting me for prayer next Tuesday at 7:30 a.m.? Invariably, they will answer: We’ll be meeting you in Helstrom 9.

Now, a student might go to Helstrom 6 and end up praying alone. What went wrong? She hadn’t read my most recent communication which I’d sent. It would be no defense for her to say that my first e-mail cleary stated that Helstrom 6 was the venue. The later communication augments the former.

God has given us a more recent message called the New Testament. In this revelation – especially as seen in the birth, life, death, and resurrecton of Christ as well as his teachings – something important has been added. Michael Lodahl in The Story of God calls it a “new twist in the story.” And there is no denying that this is an important twist!

But let’s go back to the two e-mails. While the venue has changed to Helstrom 9 instead of Helstrom 6, it’s surprising to see how much has stayed the same. The teacher will still be meeting his students. They will still be praying briefly together and still meeting the same day and the same time. Much remains the same.

Is it possible that by our neglect of the Old Testament in our preaching and teaching that we have implied a discontinuity between Old and New Testaments? In an age when the word “new” is preferred over “old” – especially in Western cultures – perhaps it is time to speak of the “First” and “Last” Testaments. This would remind us that God did not start speaking with Jesus but has been speaking for much longer.

To inaugurate his ministry, Jesus of Nazareth read from the Isaiah scroll. See Luke 4:16-21.

Lately, rather than the terminology of “Old Testament,” scholars favor the term “Hebrew Bible.” Yet does this distance the Christian from that collection of Scriptures? As a Christian, I might wonder what Hebrew writings have to do with me. Yet the first 2/3 of the Bible is part of the Christian Scriptures, too, so we must have a term that invites us to embrace them, not one that allows us to think that those writings belong to “them” but not “us.” The terms “First and Last Testaments” avoid the built in prejudice (at least for Westerners) that comes with the terms “Old” and “New.” “New” is often considered better, while “old” may be outmoded. “First” and “Last” also makes it clear that there won’t be more books added. There is a “Last” Testament; it is not a second installment in a series where we might expect a third, fourth or more. This closes the door to a Mormon understanding where other supposedly more recent Scriptures have been added after the New Testament.

A change to the language of “First” and “Last” may favor the kind of hermeneutic as laid out in my two e-mails example (Note: John Bright’s The Authority of the Old Testamentinspired this illustration). When we lay the first 39 books of the Christian Scriptures side-by-side with the last 27 books, we discover much that remains unchanged:

God is Creator and Sustainer of all that is.

God desires to be in relationship with creation.

God has given simple laws that are meant to help our relationship with God and others flourish.

God has a heart of love and desires the well-being of all creation.

God is a holy and just ruler and will discipline us for our own good.

The Hebrew word shalom (peace) summarizes much of the First Testament’s ethics, yet in the Last Testament, we see that in Christ, God the Father has also spoken a word of shalom. The incarnation is merely taking that shalom closer to where we live, God condescending to our limited human understanding. When the “Word became flesh” (John 1:14), the Word also became fresh, yet this more recent, enfleshed revelation emanates from the same God we had already known through his ealier self-disclosure. The lion’s share of the life and teaching of Christ – indeed, in the Last Testament as a whole, including the writings of Paul and others – reaffirms what the First Testament had already taught us. There is amazing continuity between the earlier and later installments of the drama.

Which reminds me of another story from Dr. Lawhead. John and Frank were neighbors. John wanted to share his faith with Frank, so one day when they were out working in their yard, John motioned Frank over to the fence. After they chatted for a while, John offered Frank a New Testament and invited him to read it. “When you’re done,” he said, “feel free to ask me any questions you might have.” Several weeks passed. On a Saturday, both men were mowing the grass when Frank motioned for John to join him a the fence. He pulled out the New Testament and thanked Frank for having given it to him. “It’ really interesting,” he admitted, “but it seems like it’s missing the first part of the story.”

I’m glad that my mother and junior quizzing started with Genesis, the first part of the story. The Book really only makes sense when we keep the First and Last Testaments together. Let’s recommit to recounting the whole story and not just part.

Advertisements

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

Post navigation

2 thoughts on “Back to Genesis…and the First Testament”

Missionary Greg, Before Reverend Lawhead taught at NTS, he was a pastor on the Albany/Upstate NY District and he was a couple of times my Boys’ and Girls; Camp Counselor at Brooktondale. That is why I was disappointed when I finally made it to NTS that he was diagnosed with cancer and I was unable to take OT classes from him.

Search TIO

Search for:

Subscription

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 758 other followers

Meet Greg

Gregory Crofford, M.A., Ph.D. (University of Manchester, England, 2005, 2008) is an ordained elder in the church, ministering with the Church of the Nazarene. He is Dean of the School of Religion and Christian Ministry at Africa Nazarene University (Nairobi, Kenya) and Coordinator of the PhD (Religion) program. Formerly, he served as Coordinator of Education and Clergy Development for the Africa Region (Church of the Nazarene). Areas of academic interest include early Methodism, missional ecclesiology, and ecotheology.

Greg is also a graduate of Nazarene Theological Seminary (M.Div.- missiology, 1989) and Eastern Nazarene College (B.A.- Religion, 1985). He is a member of Phi Delta Lambda, a Fellow of the Manchester Wesley Research Center (MWRC), a member of the Wesleyan Theological Society (WTS) and secretary of the African Society for Evangelical Theology (ASET).

Writings by Dr. Crofford

Mere Ecclesiology: Finding Your Place in the Church's Mission (Wipf & Stock, 2016) explores the church's purpose and mission in two movements: 1) "breathing in" (worship and discipleship) and 2) "breathing out" (transformational service in the world). It is available in paperback for $ 13.60 USD from Wipf & Stock by clicking here..

"Greg has powerfully captured the church, 'God’s mission in the World', in these brief pages. Ecclesiology is generally a subject written and discussed in academic theological circles and rarely reaches the person in the pew. But this is one for the pew and will be valued as well."
-Jo Anne Lyon, Ambassador
General Superintendent Emerita
The Wesleyan Church

From the back cover:

"This is an excellent overview of the work of the church. Refreshing!"
- Jesse C. Middendorf, General Superintendent Emeritus, Church of the Nazarene

"If ever the church needed a grassroots understanding to fulfill its mission in the world in this significant time, then this is the 'back to the basics' guide so desperately needed."
- Gabriel J. Benjamin, Church of the Nazarene, Africa Region Education and Clergy Development Coordinator

"Crofford invites us into a discussion regarding the theology of church and the practical implications for ministry...This work will prove useful for the church engaged in the formation of Christlike disciples."
-Carla Sunberg, President, Professor of Historical Theology, Nazarene Theological Seminary

"In promoting a healthy church, Dr. Crofford emphasizes the need for 'spiritual respiration.' His conception of church health first requires a 'breathing in' of personal growth that is spiritual, knowledgeable, and communal. Second, spiritual respiration requires a 'breathing out' that is missional, ministering practically to others for their holistic salvation, societal well-being, and ecological care-giving. . . Crofford identifies step-by-step strategies that help Christians to implement 'spiritual respiration' in finding their place in the church's mission."
-Don Thorsen, Professor of Theology, Azusa Pacific University Seminary

The Dark Side of Destiny: Hell Re-Examined (Wipf & Stock, 2013) is available in paperback and Amazon Kindle editions by clicking here.

It is also available here for just $ 6.99 for users of the Nook e-reader.

From the back cover:

"Discussion of Hell is hotter than ever. Yet for all the attention the topic has drawn, few are the resources that provide an overview of the major points in dispute without bogging down in detail.

The Dark Side of Destiny: Hell Re-examined is an excellent primer, yet goes beyond a mere description of options. Dr Crofford weighs various views of Hell in the light of Scripture and finds them wanting. In the end, he champions a neglected view of last things that both responds better to the preponderance of biblical evidence and safeguards the character of God as equitable, holy, and loving.

With probing discussion questions at the end of short chapters, The Dark Side of Destiny is ideal for Bible studies, Sunday school classes, or small groups."

The buzz about Dark Side (from Amazon.com reviews):

"I read this book with my husband on a recent trip out of state. The book is short but says all I'd hoped it would say and does so very neatly. It gave us hours of discussions to make an otherwise dull drive very interesting." - Charlotte Burton

"Dr. Crofford thoughtfully engages with a neglected part of the biblical message: final judgment." - Andrew Pottenger

"Dr. Crofford writes well and treats all positions with gentleness and respect. Beware,-- this little gem is very thought provoking." - John Watton

Wesley and Methodist Studies (WMS) publishes peer-reviewed essays that examine the life and work of John and Charles Wesley, their contemporaries (proponents or opponents) in the eighteenth-century Evangelical Revival, their historical and theological antecedents, their successors in the Wesleyan tradition, and studies of the Wesleyan and Evangelical traditions today.

Dr. Crofford's article, ‘Grace to All did Freely Move’: Thoughts on Charles Wesley’s 1741/42 Hymns on God’s Everlasting Love' appeared in Volume 6 (January 2014). Based upon research conducted during the 2012 Wesleyan Studies Summer Seminar at Asbury Theological Seminary (Wilmington, Kentucky, USA), the essay examines the predestinarian controversy between the Wesley brothers and the followers of George Whitefield, with special focus upon the pastoral concerns that motivated the publication of the Wesleys' hymn collection.

The Global Wesleyan Dictionary of Theology is available in hardcover by clicking here.

Dr. Al Truesale, Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at Nazarene Theological Seminary, is editor of this excellent selection of essays by global scholars in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition of Christianity.

Streams of Mercy: Prevenient Grace in the Theology of John and Charles Wesley (Emeth Press, 2010) is available in both softback and Kindle editions at Amazon.com by clicking here.

This is the monograph form of Dr. Crofford's 2008 PhD thesis from the University of Manchester (Nazarene Theological College), U.K.

From the back cover of Streams of Mercy

"Exploring the theological roots of the doctrine of prevenient grace in Anglican, Puritan and Quaker sources as they streamed into the theologies of both John and Charles Wesley, Gregory Crofford has written an engaging account of the significance of this salient grace. In a work marked by careful balance, Crofford ably demonstrates that the doctrine of prevenient grace not only helped the Wesley brothers to integrate diverse elements in their respective theologies but it also enabled them to avoid rigid determinism on the one hand and the 'despair of moralism' on the other. This is an important contribution to the field."

Streams of Mercy was cited by Dr. Amos Yong (currently the Director of Fuller Theological Seminary's Center for Missiological Research) in his plenary address on religious pluralism given to the 2012 meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Society held at Trevecca Nazarene University.